Donate Blood

There is one common and resilient bond between all human beings. This tie is not restricted with caste, color or creed. It is not bound with any religion or nationality.  This bond is blood. You can save a precious life if you donate blood. The number of blood donors is alarmingly low while the need for blood to save lives is soaring. Each year the requirement of blood for transfusion all over the world is a hundred thousand. According to World Health Organization (WHO) on an average one unit of blood is needed for one person for every fifty years of his life. There is a scarcity of certain blood group stock in blood banks, every now and then.

Blood donation becomes incredibly important at the time of natural calamity or a man-made tragedy. Usually the blood banks depend on the regulars in donating blood at this kind of a situation. Various efforts are being made to encourage and persuade people to come forward and donate blood. There are awareness programs from time to time to clarify myths about blood donation and the benefits of donating blood. The reason for the all time scarcity of blood is the fact that donors are not sporadic. By pledging to donate blood you become a part of a very special group of people. It is astonishing that only 3 of every 100 Americans donate blood. The Red Cross blood donation organization is always looking for volunteers for its humanitarian cause and you can do your bit to make sure that American Red Cross blood donation society has all the support, resources and talent to continue to save lives always.

Red Cross blood donation guidelines state that if you are at least 17 years old and are allowed by state laws and you are healthy. Any person whose weight is minimum 110 pounds and has not donated blood in at least 56 days or so is eligible to donate blood.  Any students who are willing to donate blood when they are at school then they should be meeting the height and weight criteria too. Blood donations are subject to many other decisive factors apart from just the age. Being healthy means you should be feeling normal and are able to address to day to day tasks without fuss. In case you are a patient of diabetes or suffer from high blood pressure condition, you can be termed as healthy if you are under proper medication and your disease is well under control.

If you are making blood donation for your own surgery, it requires a prescription and this process is called medical procedure. The blood donation requirements and its rules for eligibility are not as strict as the normal volunteer blood donation. In case the blood donor has gone through acupuncture treatment or is allergic, having dry cough etc. it is acceptable under the Red Cross blood donation guidelines.   But, if you are having a severe infection, then you should not be contemplating blood donation. This is due to the antibiotic intake during infection. Bacterial infection which is transferrable through blood and hence sufferer of this infection should avoid blood donation. But if you’re antibiotic intake is due to precautionary measure such as for a dental procedure or for acne then you can donate blood. Having temperature higher than 99.5 degree F, blood donation should be avoided. If you are asthmatic, on birth control pills, or having a high blood pressure you can still donate blood. But if you are a patient of low blood pressure you must ensure that you drink lots of water and keep your self well hydrated while you go for donation of blood. In case you have undergone blood transfusion for some reason, you should wait for at least 12 months before you donate blood. This is in wake of the mad-cow disease.

You must remember in case you are an HIV positive person or have AIDS you should not donate blood. If you have done something to contract HIV aids infection even then you should avoid donating blood. If you have any symptoms of unexpected weight loss, night sweats, blue or purple spots in your skin or mouth, unusual mouth sores, prolonged diarrhea, prolonged cough fever for more than 100.5 degree F which has remained for more than 10 days or so. Stay away from donating blood rather get yourself tested for HIV, precaution is much better than ignorance and this is something we should not take lightly.  We must come together and ensure that the blood donation statistics are at the highest level. You can look up the internet and locate blood donation centers near you and take this voluntary work seriously. This will not only help take care of big illnesses but will be of great help to the society.